Door-operating device.



J. I. MOELROY- DOOR OPERATING DEVICE. APBLIOATION FILED NOV. 23, 1901.

Patented Apr. 6, 1909.

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Patented Apr. 6, 1909.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

. Application filed November 28, 1907. Serial No. 408,432.

Be it known that 1, James F. MCELROY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Albany, in the county of Albany and State of New York, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in Door-Operating Devices, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to fluid-pressure motors for operating car doors, etc s or equivalent elements, whose sup ly an discharge canbe controlled by va ve-mechanism located at a distant point such as the car platform. It relates more especially to motors'of this class in which t e traverse of the piston or equivalent septum operates an auxiliary valve mechanism causing the fluid to be throttled during the latter art of the stroke, whereby the operated e ement may be brought to rest gradually, without shock. An example of such motors is found in atent to Neal, No. 41,446. Y

lhe objects of my invention are to enable motors of this class to work by fluid pressure in both directions, to automatically throttle the fluid-supply orboth supply and discharge, and to improve the construction and o eration of the devices for automaticall t rottling either the motor supply or disc iar e or both supply and discharge. Some of t ese objects may be independentlyaccomplished by using more or less of the mechanism hereinafter described.

Of the annexed drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical lon 'tudinal sectlon showing the motor and t e valve mechanism for automatically varying its rate of action at different oints. 11g, 2 is an enlarged section on the ine 2-2 of 1? i'g. 1. Fig. 3 is an elevation showing the application of the motor and its controlling-mechanism to acar door.

The car step may also be operated by a mo tor of this general type, as I have indicated in a separate application, Serial No. 406,268, but have not here shown. v

The motor members are two opposed diahragms 10, mounted in casings 11, 11 aving a common middle member 12 and an air-{pressure chamber 13 on the outer side of diaphragm. The diaphragms are conmotion is communicated to the door-operating lever from a point between the diaphragms. For this purpose a short lever 15 is pivoted at 16 to the middle casing-member their functions.

12 and formed with a gear-segment 17 at its lower end engaging the teeth of a second gear segment 18 which is mounted on the shaft 19 of'the multiplying-lever 20. Where the short lever 15 passes through the hubplece 14 itv engages the latter by means of circular-arc abutments 21 so that the swingmg motion of the short lever is transmitted by the gear segments to the multiplyinglever 20. The latter is of sufficient len th to glve the door its complete opening an closlng movement by a comparatively short throw of the lever 15.. In rig. 3 the multiplying lever is shown as connected with the shdi-ng car-door 22 by means of a rod 23. Air pressure being taken from a tank 24 of the air-brake system is alternately admitted to each side of the motor apparatus and simultaneously exhausted from the other side, and this action is controlled by a suitable motormans valve 25 shown conventionally. The dia hragm motor may be placed under one of t e car seatsand the lever 20 and rod 23 located between the seats and the sheathing, these members being thus protected and out of the way but readily accessibleand having room-to properly perform The diaphragms 10 are made of sufiicient diameter to furnish the required power at the outer end of lever 20 with the air-brake pressure ordinarily available. By using practically the i'ull airbrake pressure on a large diaphragm or other septum of short stroke and employing a multiplying-lever to obtain the necessary amplitude of movement in the door, the apparatus is made very economical of air. A motor of this kind is here described as a preferred construction. without however intending to wholly limit the invention, which principally resides in the novel valve-mechanism now to be described, to such a type of moto 4 The valve mechanism for producing a variable motion in the door is shown as a plied to each diaphragm although it mig t e used on only one. Considering the one at the right (Figs. 1 and 2) of which the valve mechanism at the left is a duplicate turned end-fonend, it will be seen that the diaphragm-stem 26 extends through a bushed guide-bearing 27 in the head of casing 11 into an air-chamber 28 communicating with the diaphragm-chamber 13 by an open duct 29 and this stem is centrally a ertured to guide the stem 30 of a check-Va vs 31, the latter Patented April 6, 1909. a

, u l and exhaust i e 35. Ascrew lug S pp y p p p d seating of the check-valve 31 of the leftand against a valve-seat formed at the left-hand end of an air-passage 320 in apartition 33 which separates chamber 28 from air-chamber 34, the latter being entered by the au 36 closes chamber 34 at its outer end an guides the stem 37 of a second check-valve 38 cooperating with a valve-seat at the rlghthand end of passage 320. A spring 39 tends to seat this valve. The valves are prevented from both seating at once by'causing the inner ends of their stems to abut, as shown, and it will be noted that the two valve-stems have small ducts 40, 41 drilled in them with openings 42, 43 back of the res ective valves in the chambers 28 and 34, an also an opening 44 into the air-passage 320 between the abutting stems of the two valves.

The operation is as follows. The lever 20 being at one extreme of its movement with the door 22 open-and the diaphragms positioned as shown in Fig. 1,in which case the right-hand chambers 13, 28, and 34 are exhausted of pressure, compressed air is then admitted by the motormans valve through the right-hand pipe 35 to chamber 34, and

since check-valve 38 is off its seat, the air enters chamber 28 with comparative freedom through passage 320 and past the checkvalve 31, the pressure of the entering air unseating said valve and acting against the right-hand diaphragm 10. A comparatively slight unseating of oheck valve 31, insiifii-' cient to permit the othercheck-valve 38 to seat itself, allows pressure to quickly accumulate in chamber 13 and move the diaphragm 10, which, acting against short lever 15 and through the gear-segments 17, 18 upon the multiplying-lever 20 swings the latter and moves the door toward a closed position. During the first part of this movement, or until the check-valve 38 becomes seated, the air flows freely into the chamber 13 and the door is moved quickly, but the recession of diaphragm stem 26 relieving the tension on s ring 32 at a predetermined point in the c osing movement of the door permits the spring 39 and the air-pressure back of checkvalve 38 to seat said valve, which then obstructs the further flow of air into the diaphragm chamber. The only passage for the I air is then by way of the restrictedducts 41,

40, and it can only reach the diaphragm chamber 13 through the small opemngs 42 and 44. The closing impulse upon the door is therefore diminished by a decrease in the rate of air supply back of the motor diaphragm and this in itself is an influence tendmg to prevent the door from slamming shut. It will be understood that while air is being supplied to the right-hand diaphragm chamber 13 it is simultaneously exhausted from thedeft-hand diaphragm chamber by virtue emcee of opening an exhaust-passageto the atmosphere through the motormans valve25 at the same time that the com ressed air is being supplied to the rightand diaphragm chamber. It being desirable to provide a positive air cushion for retardingnghe final closing movement, I provide for t b I the motor and the slow escape of air from the left-hand diaphragm chamber through ducts similar to the ducts 40, 41 at the right.

When the car-door is opened by a reversal I of the motormans valve 25, causing com-' pressed air to be admitted to the left-hand motor and simultaneously exhausted from the right-hand motor, the door-opening movements of the motor are a repetition of its door-closing movements but in the opposeated, becomes seated by the accumulation.

of spring-pressure behind it, due to the rightward movement of the diaphragm structure,

site direction, the first part of the movement and restricts the outflow of air from that motor so that the last part of the opening movement is positively cushioned.

It being noted that I have provided a double motor and duplicate valve mechanisms for restricting the air-supply and the airdischarge during the latter part of both the openin and closing movements of the door, it will e obvious that I may perform any lesser number of these functions by omitting one or more of the automatic valves, or omitting one set of these valves, or employing any one of the combinations of these several valves presented by the construction herein set forth. The construction of the valves themselves and their related ]parts may also be considerably modified wit out departing from the invention. It will further be understood that although the valves are shown as directly actuated by the diaphragmstems, and their casings integrally combined with the motor casings in a compact structure, yet this is not the only arrangement coming within the scope of the invention.

By mounting the motor charging and di..- charging valve at the car end or other control point and providing an independent automatic fluid-throttling valve mechanism operated by the traverse of the motor septum or some connected art, I avoid the use of long and complicate mechanical connections for operatmg said charging and dismatic valve mechanism above described motor. The specific character of the automakes it an improvement over any prior devices known tome in the matter of simple and reliable action in either or both directions.

I claim:-

1. A motor for operating a door or similar element comprising a fluid-pressure chamber having a motor septum and adapted to be charged and discharged by a distant valvemechanism, in combination with auxiliary valve-mechanism operated by the fluid pressure and controlled by the traverse of the motor septum for automatically throttling the supply and discharge of the motive fluid respectively during the completion of the septum stroke in opposite directions.

2. A motor for-operating a door or similar element comprising a septum member, two chambers for containing fluid ressures to act in opposite directions on sai member, a distant valve-mechanism for charging and discharging said chambers, and auxiliary valves in the path of the motive fluid for said chambers,'%aid valves controlled by the traverse of the septum member and causing the admission of motive fluid to one of said chambers and the discharge from theother chamber to be throttled during the completion of the stroke of said member.

3. A motor for operating'a door or similar element comprising a fluid-pressure chamber having a motor septum, a fixed conduit formmg a main passage for the motive fluid, connecting with said chamber and having a valve-seat, an automatic check-valve coo crating with said seat, means whereby said valve is seated by the traverse of the septum during the completion of its stroke and means formin a secondary restricted passage for thrott ing the motive fluid as soon as the check-valve is seated.

4. A motor for operating. a door or similar element comprising a fluidressure chamber having a motor septum, a clibck-valve which, when closed, causes a throttling of the discharge from said chamber during the latter part of the septum stroke, and a s ring intere posed between said valve and t e septum, whereby the traverse of the septum yieldingly closes the valve.

5. A motor for operating a door or similar element comprising a fluid-pressure chamber having a motor septum, valve-mechanism for charging and discharging said chamber, and a secondary valve between said valve mechanism and .thechainber, closed by the traverse of the motor septum during the latter part of its power stroke and adapted to cause the throttling of the fluid-pressure supply-to said chamber.

6. A motor for operating a door or similar element comprising afluid-pressure chamber havmga motor septum, a check-valve con-' trolling the fluid supply to said chamber, a connection between said valve and the septum whereby the valve is held open during the first part of the working stroke of the septum and permitted to close during the latterpart of said stroke, and means forming a restricted passage for throttling the fluid supply when said valve is closed.

7. A motor for operating a door or similar element comprising a fluid-pressure chamber having a motor septum, means for charging and discharging said chamber with motive fluid, and oppositely-seating check-valves controlling respectively the fluid-supply and fluid-discharge of said chamber and mechanically controlled by the traverse of the septum.

8. A motor for operating a door or similar element comprising a reciprocating motormember having a chamber on one side, a pipe for supplying motive fluid to said chamer and discharging it therefrom, and means for restricting both the supply and discharge flows during the latter partsof the movements of said member, saidmeans including a pair of alternately and oppositely seating check-valves operated by the motor member, together with restricted ducts for permitting fluid flow when the valves are seated.

9. A motor foroperating .a door or similar element comprising a reciprocating motor septum having a fluid-pressure chamber on one side, a assage controlling the suipply of fluid to and its discharge from said 0 amber and having valve-seats at opposite ends, a

pair of oppositely and alternately seating check-valves cooperating with the respective seats andactuated by the motor septum, springs for seating said valves, and restricted ducts by-passing the valves for permitting fluid flow around them when seated.

101' A motor for operating a door or similar element comprising a reciprocating motor septum having a fluid-pressure chamber on one side, a passage opening into said chamber and having valve-seats at opposite ends,

a pair of oppositely-seating c eck-valves controlling the inlet and outlet flows through said passage respectively and held apart a distance greater than the distance between the valve-seats, a spring for seating the inlet-controlling valve, and an o positelyactin sprin interposed betweent eseptum and t e out et-controlling valve for seating the latter during the completion of the discharge stroke of the septum.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set myhandin the presence of two subscribing witnesses, the 9th day of November, 1907.

. 7 JAMES F. McELROY.

' Witnesses: 4

* BEULAH CABLE, Ems'r D. Jansen. 

